[shadedk9]

Username + id: shadedk9 652370
Chicoon Participating: Forum/viewtopic.php?t=4696423
Choice: head back to camp
Word count/art size: Honeydew was visibly shaken up and panting heavily. They trembled with fear and looked like they were going to drop dead on the spot. They were pale and their eyes were unimaginably wide. They eventually caught their breath and, in a shaky voice, said "i think maybe we should go back to camp for now to rest... i dont want to get lost in here. especially not with that-" they hesitated. "monster in there". They waited and leaned against the wall to allow Mystra to pass in front and lead them back to camp. The whole walk back they were sluggish and out of breath, a wheeze coming from them.
Art/Writing: 110

[Caeleesi]

Username + id: Caeleesi / 309551
Chicoon Participating: Plutonium
Choice: Map!
Word count/art size:
130 words + Clean line/colour/shading/bg

Art/Writing:
Pluto stares down at the little mouse as Mystra detaches herself from him... and immediately starts laughing.
What a strange thing, to come across something so little after expecting something much scarier.
He looked over to Mystra as she asked her question, and nodded his head as he forced himself to stop laughing.
"I believe that roaring might actually be bad news after all... and I'd rather not take the chance that we get spooked by a mouse twice in a row... so shall we go to your map location? As the professional cryptid hunter, I'm sure you have more of a grasp on these sorts of things than me anyways." He laughed again and motioned for her to take the lead, still smiling as he began to follow her.

[Ottercola]

Username + id: Ottercola [111526]
Chicoon Participating: Zamper
Choice: Roaring Sound
Word count/art size:

Zamper felt Mystra cling to its side, it wrapped his back wing tighter around her as the noise grew closer and closer. It knees shaking a bit as it's confidence wavered a bit, but it felt Mysta rise up to meet him to face what was ahead. It smiled at her, confidence bolstered as its friend stood together with it to face what lied ahead of them. It did this for her and it was gonna keep its promise to her, even if that promise was scary to it and even Mystra herself. It growled once more, the sound wavering slightly but still the best it could get out. It squinted as another light grew from down the halway. "That's not coming from me" it whispered. It watched as the long shadow encroached upon them, fading out in Zamper's own glow. Zamper squinted to see what cast it. Feeling Mystra cling to his side once more, it wrapped its tail around her, covering her in a soft light in hopes to comfort her, before a small squeak in front of it drew its attention. It lowered its head as the shadow grew smaller and smaller til its host stood in front of them. It felt Mystra release from it and sigh in relief. It's own fur it hadnt noticed bristling lying flat once again. "No need to feel sorry", it reassured her. "Or stupid. I gotta admit this whole maze is...scary. I'm just trying to be brave for you." It said to her meekly. "I'm sure you know from last time I'm not the bravest..." he shuffled a paw bashfully. "But you give me the strength to want to be braver and stronger! Or well try to be the best I can..." It added that last part quieter. It drew its attention back to the mouse in front of them. A large bushel of plants in its tiny paws. They glowed oddly, something it hadnt seen in the maze yet. Nothing except for itself anyway. "It's rather cute" it mused. "But your right there's no way this little thing made that noise." He sat and thought for a moment on the decision that lay before them. Feeding off the braveness it suddenly seemed to have, it took a step forward. "We came for a monster, let's bag ourselves a monster!" Its voiced wavered again, but it seemed determined anyway. It had to be for his friend. "The mouse didnt seem to be afraid, right? Arent mice usually skittish? " It wondered that over it head again and nodded in confirmation. "So maybe it's not so bad? Maybe it just happens to be...loud" It gulped and shivered a bit," and scary..." It could feel its anxiety rising again. What was it tryng to prove to her? It wasnt sure but it was important. "Let's catch ourselves a monster, ok? You'll have something for your reseach!" It smiled weakly at her, touching his nose to hers, "After all I promised to help you and your crytid hunts didnt I?"

Art/Writing: 506

[-roadkill-69-]

Username + id: -roadkill-69- 825808
Chicoon Participating: Qory
Choice: Frog sounds
Word count/art size: 188
Art/Writing:
Mystra quickly sketches the pawprint in her notes, asking Qory to keep his paw in place for a little to do a size comparison. When she was done she tucked her notes away.

"This has to be our creature. You ready?"

Qory stares at the pawprint for a second longer before shuffling his stance, sticking out his chest and squaring his shoulders. He nods at Mystra, turning to take the lead.

You two begin to follow the pawprints. As you walk you are able to get a better look at them. They've got four toes and one center pad that's shaped like an upside down heart. It almost reminds you of a Jinka-Lang... if they were eight times bigger. You place your paw inside one of these footprints. It barely takes up one of the finger pads. Whatever made this must be really really big...

Trying to keep his mind off whatever awaits him he turns to Mystra, signing clumsily, it IS nice to meet you out here. I haven't seen another chicoon in some time. I'm... not sure I'm ready to face a monster yet, I mean this quest is exciting an all but... well. I've never done anything like this before.
He pauses, thinking for a second, I don't want to go into this empty handed, you don't happen to have anything in your bag that could help us?

The pawprints lead you all the way to an abandoned camp. It looks like whoever was in this camp left in a hurry... probably scared off by whatever made these footprints. On the other side of the clearing the path continues. On the right path you can hear the sound of rushing water, the left path the sound of... frogs?

Mystra wrote:
Well... Footprints end here. We might as well continue, right? I mean the creature had to go down one of these paths. Which should we go check out?

Qory grimaces. Hums. Looks between the two paths. At this rate, they'll never catch up to the monster, but there's really no clue as to which way it went. Well, whenever he needs to make a hard decision he uses the smartest tactic in the book. Eeney meenie miney moe. He points towards the sound of rushing water and starts. Landing on frogs he looks to Mystra to see if she agrees.

[PrincessAlexis]

Username + id: PrincessAlexis #19227
Chicoon Participating: Aztec
Choice: Map Location
Word count/art size: 562 words
Art/Writing:


When Aztec explained about the pile of candy and mysterious bones, Mystra immediately became very interested and enlivened. She wrote everything down in her notebook and told him there were secret tunnels. He raised his eyebrows at that, surprised. He hadn't found any, but then again he hadn't really been looking. There had been so many things plain as the eye can see that he didn't go sniffing around looking for trap doors or other unexpected accommodations, thought it made perfect sense in a place like this. Now he was bound and determined to discover them.

"Have you been through any of the secret tunnels yet? If so, I wonder what you found there but if not I wonder what would make you suspect such a thing?"

As they walked down the tunnel and it became darker and darker, she put away her book. That was when they had heard the roar, a terrifying sound that had Aztec braced for death and praying to the spirits. When Aztec looked over at Mystra he saw that her fur was puffed and each of the trees in her markings seemed to have grown wider and been standing out, away from her body. He looked, mesmerized, and then turned back to the sound of the commotion. Sure, she was pretty, but this might be the end for them...

He flapped his wings angrily, prepared to charge forward, and suddenly there was a flash of blue light and then around the corner came a tiny mouse, holding glowing plants in its paws! Aztec couldn't help it, he let out a barking laugh and then turned to Mystra, laughing so hard that tears poured from his eyes. "Oh, thank goodness it was only this little guy," he said, plucking the glowing plants right out of the mouse's paws and tucking them into his knapsack, saving them for later.

Mystra apologized for being frightened but Aztec reassured her there was nothing to be sorry for, anyone would get creeped out in a strange location such as the one they now found themselves. He already respected her greatly because of her intentions to continue onward rather than turning back and finding a way out. And the way that she had stood beside him in the face of danger... she may have been scared, but bravery isn't a lack of fear (that would be what we know as stupidity). No, bravery is surely the presence of fear but continuing on in its face rather than quitting or giving up.

"Never quit, never surrender!" Aztec announced loudly pumping his paw in the air. He wanted them to get riled back up, charged and ready for the excitement to come. There was nothing the two of them couldn't handle if they worked together!

But when Mystra asked if they should continue onward or check out the spot marked on her map, he wasn't sure what to do. Certainly they could face the terrifying beast, but he'd rather know what she had been on her way toward in the first place. Might be some sort of treasure, or else at least a special feature where they could have some idea of what they were getting into rather than a simple rabid headlong dash into the face of danger.

"Let's check the map," he suggested. "What is it supposed to lead us to, anyway?"

[Ki-san]

Username + id: Ki-san 1025193
Chicoon Participating: Izumi
Choice: Roaring Sound
Word count/art size: 231
Art/Writing:
A mouse?! This is what we were afraid of?, thought Izumi as Mystra had released him and collected herself. He was slightly confused as to why she was saying she felt dumb about getting scared over a mouse. He pawed at the air like he was waving, “Hey now no need to beat yourself up over that. We didn’t know what was coming at us.” Izumi’s tail flicked, “ I have to admit..I was scared there too. I even thought we should have ran back to your camp.” He lightly chuckled as watching the mouse before finally turn the corner with its glowing plants. He wondered where the mouse even got those from. He might wanna take some home if he could ever find a way out of this maze. Finally once calmed down completely, Izumi asked Mystra if they could see the map again.

Looking at the map, Izumi noticed the roaring sound came from a different direction than the markings on Mystra’s map. He scratched at his head and wondered what could have actually made the sound. But he didn’t want to seem selfish by going off his interest in this adventure. This was Mystra’s adventure just as much as his! So he asked just to be sure if she was okay with checking out where the roaring sound came from, instead of just barreling down the darkened hallway.

[Winter Shores]

Username + id: Winter Shores 931321
Chicoon Participating: Tigon
Choice: ROARING SOUND
Word count: 538
Writing: Mystra was prepared to turn back, but she stopped when Tigon pulled out his blade. She swallowed. She couldn't just leave him... Plus he was right, they were on the cusp of a breakthrough, she can't abandon their hard work now.
She shook herself off and took her spot by his side. Whatever it was, she wasn't going to let him face it alone. Tigon and Mystra stood there together, their breath hitching in their throat as the sound grew louder and louder. Tigon gripped the blade tighter as if he could possibly drop it at any second. As a large shadow is casted across the ground Mystra jumps and grabs him. As the shadow approached them further it seemed to dissipate until a small mouse with a bundle of glowing plants in its paws was made visible.Tigon looked over at Mystra, a quiet laugh bubbling from him.
“Oh uh sorry about that… I got a little startled. Over a… mouse. Wow. I kinda feel stupid now. But… There’s no way that little mouse was making such a loud sound. Should we go investigate that or should we keep going towards the spot I marked on my map?” Mystra pointed to the neatly marked red X. Mystra had places to be and things to discover but the option was clear. Tigon looked down the hallway at the mouse then back at the parchment. He wasn't sure what to do if he was being honest with himself. On the surface he knew he wanted to turn around, to not go any further and to just find what was marked on the map. He wanted to leave the maze and never look back. But deep down inside he knew that was not the right thing to do. They needed to continue their search.
He grumbled as he stared at the map some more. “I think we should investigate… What if the sound has something to do with what you are researching. Or perhaps even someone who needs help..?” Tigon looked up and watched as the mouse scurried away. “We have the map if we get lost.” He pushed forward, one small step at a time as he was overthinking his choices. He was really bringing them deeper into the maze with an unknown creature. They could die! No.. Tigon shook his head and sighed deeply. “Come on Mystra, it's going to be okay. We have each other and if not we run for it!” Tigon chuckled as Mystras' eyes wided a bit. He motioned for her to follow him as they continued down the hallway. He wasn't really sure where he was going as there was no sense of direction in the darkness but he knew that there had to be something there. They both knew if they were being honest with themselves. No way was a small little mouse leaving claw marks against hard stone. As they walked their footsteps bounced off the walls and echoed around, it was unsettling. They really didn't know what could be out there in front of them. All Tigon knew is that he was going to find out eventually and he was not sure if he was going to like his answer.

[case]

Username + id: case 108699
Chicoon Participating: Everett
Choice: fruit haven!
Word count/art size: 239
Art/Writing: Once again, Everett weighed both options. Looking down the one path, Everett could see a clear path ahead. There was barely any fruit juice on the ground, if any. The walls on the other path practically dripped with the sticky, thick juice. Everett’s first instinct was to pick the clean path. It would definitely be a lot cleaner and quicker. However, they could not get their mind off of the claw marks on the wall. Looking toward Mystra, they moved their head toward the sliced fruit. “What do you think the fruit did to the creature? I highly doubt the fruit deserved the ending they were handed.” They laughed, nudging Mystra in a playful manner. Everett pointed at Mystra’s paw, which was still covered in the juice. “I am sorry to say that I think we should go down the fruit littered path. It looks really uncomfortable to walk on, but I think we will manage. I feel like I can accomplish anything with you by my side.” They grinned and started to carefully tread on the path they had chosen. “Do you know what kind of fruit these are? I do not recognize them. Do you think the fruit is edible?” Everett bent down and sniffed the juice, already covered in the guts of the smashed fruit. “Oh, by the way, I will clean you off with a hose later if you will do the same for me.”

[Zigzagoon]

Username + id: Zigzagoon
Chicoon Participating: Turtle
Choice: Roaring Sound
Word count/art size: Clean Line/Color + Shading + BG (+ 65 words)
Art/Writing:

Turtle didn't mind that Mystra got startled. In fact, he was totally distracted by the mouse! He picked it up gently and held it up high, causing it to drop the plants it was holding. They would follow the loud sound, Turtle indicated, and they were bringing the mouse with them! Clearly this mouse was very powerful and could scare off any beast, Turtle thought.

[.henloimmabirb.]

Username + id: .henloimmabirb. + 778953
Chicoon Participating: Argus
Choice: Roaring Sound
Word count/art size: 219 Words/Clean Line + Color + Shading
Art/Writing:

After making sure Mystra was okay, Argus braced himself for the biggest and most ferocious creature to come barreling towards them, only breaking out of the alert state he was in when he heard the sounds of little paws walking along the ground. He glanced down and saw a little mouse, with glowing plants? That's new, he hadn't recalled seeing any glowing plants since they entered the maze...he decided to keep a mental note of the plants before lowering his head to look at the mouse. "I don't think that roar came from this little mouse, surely not!" Argus honked softly as the mouse just looked at him, head tilted in curiosity.
"Hey, it's alright..." Argus spoke softly, hoping to lighten the mood a bit. "I gotta admit I was a bit scared myself! I can't imagine what would've happened if it wasn't a mouse." He gave his friend a reassuring smile as he listened. "Hmm...I think we should find out what made that roaring sound, we've already come this far...I think together we can be the bravest of brave, what do you think?" He flapped his wings softly as he turned to Mystra. "Maybe we can check out the thing with the mouse afterwards, I think we'll run into them again...let's follow your map to the marked location."